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Japanese carmaker Toyota [TM] continues to perform, once again topping JD Power's US customer satisfaction survey, and increasing sales by 6% in Europe. Clever marketing has helped to project a more sporty image of what used to be seen as staid cars, and could propel it to the global number one spot.

Published By Datamonitor

Reports in Japan suggest that Toyota is set to raise the price of its cars in the US to calm trade tensions between Japan and the US. However, the problem remains with GM and Ford's inability to increase sales, something Toyota's price rise will do nothing to ameliorate.

Published By Datamonitor

Having revised and increased its production forecast in July, it is no surprise that Toyota has announced strong Q1 results. The company benefited strongly from sales in overseas markets, which were up by 65.1% on the same quarter a year ago. Having successfully penetrated the US and much of the rest of the world, Toyota should now turn its attentions to the emerging markets of China and India.

Published By Datamonitor

Car manufacturer Toyota and Tesla, the battery-powered sports car pioneer, have announced that they are to work together in a surprise deal which will see Toyota initially invest $50m in the small California-based company. Despite obvious benefits for hybrid vehicle development, the deal represents an attempt by Toyota to restore its profile in the media and seek new technological innovation.

Published By Datamonitor

The earthquake and following tsunami on March 11 devastated the east coast of Japan, the world's third largest economy, and this is expected to result in a reduction in the nation's economic growth of 0.5 percentage points this year. This will in large part be due to the slowdown in Japan's auto industry, but the market's innate advantages may be able to generate a recovery by the end of 2011.

Published By Datamonitor

Suzuki has revealed plans to ramp up investment in India, its largest overseas market. As well as boosting production, the Japanese major will develop a new line of mid-sized sedans. A departure from minicars is a wise move by Suzuki: competing in more than one segment will enable it to keep pace in one of the region's fastest growing automotive markets.

Published By Datamonitor

Chinese auto manufacturer Great Wall may be facing a lawsuit from Nissan [NSANY] over design copyright. Since China gained entry into the WTO more than a year ago many barriers and tariffs on auto imports have been abolished. Despite a pledge from the Chinese government to improve its discouraging record on protecting intellectual property, rules still need to be rigorously reinforced.

Published By Datamonitor

Nissan's [NSANY] strong global sales led the Japanese manufacturer to a record profit rise of 12%. The manufacturer has become the world's most profitable mass-market carmaker in a fiercely competitive industry. Nissan has proved that success in this industry relies not only on product design and performance but also in matching customer expectations.

Published By Datamonitor

While natural disasters are considered to be mostly unpredictable, a number of car manufacturers are finding that their location of choice has put them in the direct path of some of the most severe disasters in recorded memory. Recent movements within the automotive industry suggest that while loyalty to a native location is important, manufacturers are unwilling to tempt fate twice.

Published By Datamonitor

As a result of increased demand, primarily in the Far East, JLR is set to create 800 new jobs, whereas Honda is due to cut the same number of positions. The latter's new focus on fuel-efficient cars in North America should help it to weather the storm, while JLR ought to stick with its current successful tactics.